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considering 6-cylinder vs 4

Hi - new to Subarus, but definitely looking to get a used Outback. Have opportunity to buy '01 VDC, but may prefer to spend less for 4-cylinder LTD. Is the extra power worth it? Are there problems I should know about with the 6? (Like does it require higher octane?)

I agree with 99obw. However, the H6 engine only came out in 2001 (in North America). It's not very long in the tooth yet. And there are not a great number of them out there. Let's hope it holds up better for Subaru than the 2.5L.

IMHO, the car is rather heavy for the 2.5L. I think you'll find it at the bottom of it's class for acceleration. If that matters to you.

I really really really wish the 3.0 didn't require premium fuel. That makes it so much less attractive to me. How many horses would be lost by changing the pistons to get a lower compression ratio? If lowering the CR brought it to the same hp/ci as the 2.5 it would have 198 hp.

[confession]
We are looking seriously at a Toyota Sienna AWD minivan for our next vehicle. 3.3l 230 HP on regular fuel. EPA 18/24. That should put the fuel cost really close to a 3.0 outback, in a 4,365lb vehicle that can tow 3500lb. (are you listening Subaru?) It's more expensive, but I hope the increase in reliability will make up for it.
[/confession]

My wife has had an '03 H6 Sedan for a year. We purchased it new and it now has about 18,700mi. She exclusively runs midgrade fuel. When we purchased the car we decided to see how it would run on midgrade. If the engine didn't like it, we'd run premium. The car has had absolutely no problems with midgrade and delivers 26-27 MPG in mostly highway driving.

I have done virtually all of the maintenance on the car myself and am very impressed with it. I change the oil every 3,000 mi and it stays remarkably clean between oil changes.

I have a '98 OBW w/the 2.5. The H6 is far smother and quieter. It is not particularly fast off the line, but it has turbine-like power for passing.

How different is the current H-6 from that found in the SVX? I'm trying to milk my XT for all it's worth, but I expect to have to purchase a new car in three or so years - hopefully, the H-6 Legacy sedan will be available

It may not be a fireball but if you want a fireball maybe you better see what Porsche has to offer.
The ones I have known have been as reliable as the old 2.2 which makes sense as it is pretty much a 2.2 with a couple more cylinders.
True it has not been around long but I seem to recall hearing head gasket rumors about the 2.5 in the first year or so.
The H6 might just bring me back to Subaru for my next carry stuff car if it pans out.
Funny to think that if I and my relatives had not had such good luck with the 2.2 I would not have the 2.5 I love to hate.

I have a 95 Legacy and wished it had a V6. When considering a car with regular gas vs premium, you need to figure out how many miles you drive and then calculate the cost between having a car with regular vs premium. You may find that the difference in cost is little. The cost of gas is more than we would like to pay but the difference between the grade is only about 20 cents. On an average of 12000 miles for 18 mpg car, that's only $133.00 extra for the premium gas.

Thanks for the advice. With my trade-in, I can get into the '01 VDC for at most $6k, so I may do it. But if not, I need to know what colors the '01 came in - any idea where to get a look at them online?